Richard Alan Smallwood was a leader in clinical practice, medical research, education, and administration who made outstanding contributions to the broad and long-term issues of health care in Australia.
Born in 1937 in pre-war Batu Gajah, Malaya, Richard’s mother, Margaret, was a doctor with the Malayan Medical Service, and his father, Ian, was an insurance executive. Both parents were interned by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore in 1942, but their two sons, Robin and Richard, were evacuated prior to the invasion and cared for by relatives in Australia.
Reunited with his parents in late 1945, Richard knew from an early age that he would follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a doctor. He was known as "the Doc" from a young age, and both brothers studied medicine "as the natural thing to do."
Educated at Ivanhoe Grammar, Geelong Grammar, and the University of Melbourne, where he graduated MBBS in 1960, Richard's postgraduate training included appointments at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne (1961-63) and the Royal Melbourne Hospital (1964-65), and he was awarded a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Melbourne (1964). He became a member of the RACP in 1964 and was soon awarded an RACP Travelling Scholarship, which enabled him to travel to London to undertake a research fellowship with the Department of Medicine at Royal Free Hospital (1966-68), working with the legendary Sheila Sherlock.
Prior to going to London, he met and married nurse Carol Taggart, whom he met on the Alfred Hospital Psychiatry ward. In 1966 they sailed for London on the Waroonga, with Richard crewing as the ship's doctor.
Smallwood chose to specialise in gastroenterology, focusing on hepatology and studying diseases of the liver and biliary system, which was at that time an emerging specialty. He would go on to play a pivotal role in advancing the specialisation and its practice in Australia.
A Fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Boston University School of Medicine, U.S.A. (1968-69), followed.
In the early 1970s, he returned to Melbourne and was appointed to the staff of the University of Melbourne at the Austin Hospital, eventually becoming Director of Gastroenterology (1973-1990), where he helped to establish academic medicine and the first gastroenterology unit in Melbourne.
He was also appointed as a visiting physician at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital (1973-1980) and Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital.
In 1990 he was appointed Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and Chairman of Gastroenterology at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre.
Professor Smallwood's enormous energy, commitment, and enthusiasm were amply demonstrated within The Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He was an active member of the Victorian State Committee from 1972, holding positions as a member of the Committee, Honorary Secretary (1972-74), and Chairman (1989-1990). Federally, he would hold many positions. He was a member of the Committee for Physician Training, becoming Chairman from 1982 to 1986, as well as a number of its sub-committees, including training committees in Infectious Diseases, Immunology, Gastroenterology, Rheumatology, and Intensive Care Medicine. In 1984, he was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Censors, arguably the most important and influential position in the College other than the Presidency. He held that appointment with distinction and was responsible for several initiatives aimed at improving the standards of training and examination within the College.
In addition to being on the Council of the College and its Executive Committee, from 1985 to 1992, Professor Smallwood was Chairman of the Social Issues Committee, steering its broad agenda to provide physician input into major health issues in the community. Under his chairmanship, lay input from consumer organisations was introduced, and position statements on many issues were developed and promulgated within the profession and the community.
His consultative and inclusive style earned him the respect of both the Council and the Fellowship. In 1994, he was elected Vice-President for Australia and in 1995, President-elect, taking up the Presidency in May 1996. He was regarded as an outstanding College leader with his vision in promoting the role of the College to government and the community.
In addition to The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Professor Smallwood was a leader in the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, holding the positions of a member of Council, Chairman of the Education Committee, and Honorary Secretary of the Society, as well as Vice-Chairman of the Australian Gastroenterological Institute.
Professor Smallwood's contributions to medical research were substantial. In 1994, he was appointed Chairman of the Council of the National Health & Medical Research Council, as well as holding various Committee memberships. He was a member of the Australian Health Minister's Advisory Council from 1993 and a member or office bearer of a variety of other government and medical research organisations.
His attributes and accomplishments were further recognised by the Federal Government when he was seconded to be Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer (1999-2003). By drawing on his experience in medical administration and from his involvement in a wide range of professional bodies, he engaged with others to tackle issues such as the protection of Australia from communicable diseases and pandemics, including mad cow disease, anthrax, smallpox, and SARS.
Although planning to retire post-CMO role, Smallwood was then seconded to be the inaugural chair of a new body, the National Blood Authority, where his aim was to have "the whole system regularised and running much more efficiently."
From 2008, he was appointed President of the Australian Medical Council, where he became the key representative of the regulated health professions in negotiations with the Commonwealth Government during the introduction of the National Registration and Accreditation scheme for the regulated health professions.
As a Professor of Medicine, mentor, and educator, he dedicated more than 30 years to teaching undergraduates and postgraduates, including co-authoring a textbook with Professor Richard Larkins, FRACP, entitled "Clinical Skills: the medical interview, physical examination, and assessment of the patient's problems." Underwhelmed by his own undergraduate medical education, he sought to equip his students with skills beyond rote learning.
In addition to being a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology International, the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the American Journal of Gastroenterology, and Current Therapeutics, Richard Smallwood's legacy continues through his own extensive publications, primarily in the field of the liver and its diseases. He had an outstanding international reputation and was acknowledged widely in a very broad range of fields, including hepatology, public health, medical education, and professional regulation.
His dedication earned him national recognition, being named an Officer of the Order of Australia (1997) for service to medicine, particularly in the field of gastroenterology, to research through the National Health and Medical Research Council, and to education. He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for "service to public health especially as the Chief Medical Officer," and in 2013, the Sir William Upjohn Medal, which recognises distinguished service to medicine in Australia.
Professor Smallwood died on the 1st of June, 2024, aged 87.